Restrepo: An Updated Band of Brothers

If you want to put the War in Afghanistan into perspective, you should really see this fine documentary by journalist Sebastion Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington. They followed the Second Platoon, B Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (airborne) of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team for the better part of a 15 month deployment in the most dangerous part of Afghanistan in 2007. We see the terror and exhilaration of combat though the eyes of these young men, and mourn with them their losses. The Second Platoon struggles to build an outpost, O. P. Restrepo, which they name after their fallen brother, a platoon medic, Juan S. Restrepo. It’s a task that changes the fabric of their mission. The chemistry is palpable as we learn about the accomplishments and failures along the way, a testament to the skill and bravery of the fighting forces as they deal with a formidable enemy, the Taliban.